cautes

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Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

Likely a hypercorrection of cōtēs, the plural of cōs (whetstone, sharpening stone), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱeh₃- (to sharpen), so originally meaning “sharp points, promontories”. See plaudō~plōdō for another possible example of the same hypercorrection. Cognates include Latin catus (clever, cunning), cōs (whetstone), cuneus (wedge) and Ancient Greek κῶνος (kônos, cone).

A different suggestion relates it to English heap and Tocharian B kauc (up, high), from an irregular-shaped root, as well as with English high, a connection rejected by modern etymologists. The three different stop consonants t~p~k under this suggestion likewise remain unexplained.

Noun

cautēs f (genitive cautis); third declension

  1. A rough, pointed rock

Declension

Third-declension noun (i-stem).

Case Singular Plural
Nominative cautēs cautēs
Genitive cautis cautium
Dative cautī cautibus
Accusative cautem cautēs
cautīs
Ablative caute cautibus
Vocative cautēs cautēs

References

  1. ^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “cōs”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 139
  2. ^ Pisani, Vittore (1954) “Lat. cautēs, toch. B kauc A koc”, in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung auf dem Gebiete der Indogermanischen Sprachen (in German), volume 72. 1./2., →DOI, pages 95–97

Further reading

  • cautēs”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • cautes”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • cautes in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.